Workbench

cause the tenon to be drawn into the mortise when the pins are driven home.
I formed the pins from the off-cuts created when cutting the shoulders on the top and bottom of the tenons.
These were trimmed to be approximately octagonal and turned on my tredle lathe until they fit snugly into
the holes. It’s better if the pins are too narrow rather than too wide because an oversized pin will split the
legs or break out the end of the tenon – especially if you use construction-grade lumber.
Assembly the trestles by seating the tenons, and driving the pins. Once the pins are in place, the ends are
sawn or chiseled flush with the surface and the entire assembly is smoothed and finished. Finally, connect
the two trestles with the long stretchers, drive the pins, and smooth and finish these parts.
The final step in finishing the base is to bore holes in the middle of the top stretchers to receive the pegs (G)
that will hold the top.
Now that the base is completed, use the following steps to get each layer flat enough for lamination. First,
install a set of short pegs (G) that will hold a single layer. The lowest layer is bored through to fit onto these
pegs and both surfaces are flattened. When flattening the second side (the top surface in this case) be sure
to plane right to a mark struck around the edge of the boards parallel to the layer you just flattened. This
will insure the layer is of a consistent thickness, in addition to being flat on both sides.
Once the lowest layer is flattened, install longer pegs into the holes in the base, bore holes through the middle
layer, and flatten one side of the middle layer. Glue the bottom and middle layers together, and once the
glue has dried, flatten the top of these two layers. Again, use a marking gauge to strike a line parallel to the
bottom of the layers and plane down to this mark when leveling the top surface.
The top layer is last, and it can be affixed to the other layers by using pinch dogs or by nailing a couple
boards across the end grain of the set of layers. You may be able to further support the connection between
the top and lower layers by clamping the long edges of the boards together. At this stage it is only necessary
to flatten the underside of the top layer so it can be glued to the other layers.
After the top layer has been flattened and glued to the other layers, the entire top can be sawed down to
size. Plane the edges, flatten and smooth the top, and finish it with linseed oil, shellac, and paste wax.
The leg vise is installed next. The vise jaws are constructed of 4 × 4 lumber, with the inner jaw fitting into a
dovetailed slot all the way through the top of the bench, and into a shallow mortise in the trestle foot. The
outer jaw rests on the floor, and is connected to the inner jaw (and the leg of the bench) with a large metal
or wooden screw.
The weakness in the design is that the expansion and contraction of the top may result in the movement
of the inner jaw relative to the base of the bench. If expansion and contraction present a problem, the
dovetailed slot can be enlarged to allow for movement in the top.
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